- Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) March 26, 2005 Copyright 2005 The Columbus Dispatch
Program provides them with lessons in politics and access to politicians
By Sherri Williams, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Chris
Rodriguez doesn't consider being the first Latino elected to the
Whitehall City Council a milestone for his people. But it is a platform
to be a voice for Latinos when issues affecting them arise.
"Being
Hispanic does give you an advantage because you can relate to cultural
differences," said Rodriguez, a Mexican-American. "But to me, I don't
have a Latino or Hispanic agenda. I serve the people of Whitehall."
Rodriguez,
44, is one of two known Latino elected public officials in Franklin
County. The other is Grove City Councilwoman Maria Klemack, 56.
Nationally,
4,853 Latinos held elected office last year, according to the National
Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Latino leaders
hope to increase those numbers by grooming grass-roots activists to
become politicians.
A seven-week training
course, the Grassroots Leadership Development Program, is teaching 18
Latino leaders in central Ohio about the political process and putting
them in touch with elected officials. The program is in its fifth week
of classes at Columbus City Hall.
The program, offered through the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, has trained more than 5,000 Latinos in 20 years.
The
course also allows politicians to meet Latinos who are available for
boards and government jobs. Mayor Michael B. Coleman and Franklin
County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy are among the politicians who have
addressed the group.
Because Franklin
County's Latino population is growing, more Latinos should become
public officials, said Ezra Escudero, executive director of the Ohio
Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs. The Latino population in the
county has grown almost 20 percent since 2000 to about 30,000
residents, according to U.S. Census figures.
Marco
Merino, a junior computers and electronics major at Ohio State
University, is in the program because he wants to help Latinos through
public service and to shatter stereotypes.
"There are a lot of
racial
issues that grow out of ignorance," said Merino, 27, a native of
Venezuela. "We should teach people about what we are going through so
we can achieve equality."
Henry Guzman,
Columbus' public service director and a native of Puerto Rico, has
worked in public service more than 20 years. He is thought to be the
first Latino to hold a cabinet position in the city.
Latino
officials bring firsthand understanding of the culture and issues
affecting their people, said Guzman, who spoke to the leadership class.
"That
person that is elected is going to be a voice for all people," said
Guzman, 58. "But they can be at the table. Now you're at the same level
as the people around you. They're not on the outside looking in."
Being
in leadership positions also encourages other Latinos, he said. "If
people don't see anyone in these higher positions, they will feel
they're closed to them."
Mariangee Nieto,
a marketing manager for U.S. Bank in Columbus, attends the leadership
program, which is made up mostly of women.
"In
our countries, we are seen as taking care of our families and the
community," said Nieto, 22, a native of Venezuela. "So it makes sense
for us to move into public service and take ownership and
responsibility for our community."
Other
efforts to mobilize Latinos politically include the Adelante Democrats,
a Latino auxiliary of the Franklin County Democratic Party that was
started in 2004, and the Ohio Republican Hispanic Assembly, which has
been around almost 20 years.
Grooming more
Latino politicians makes sense because immigrants, including Latinos,
are emerging as a voting block, Escudero said. Nearly 13,000 people in
Ohio became citizens in the past two years, making them eligible to
vote.
"No one will deny the importance of
having policymakers who have lived the firsthand experience of being
Latino in Ohio," Escudero said. "No one could articulate one's issues
better than oneself."
For more information about the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute's Grassroots Leadership Development Program, visit
www.ushli.com.
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